


Check

by fauxglitter



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Betrayal, ChanBaek - Freeform, Drabble, M/M, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:13:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24943654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fauxglitter/pseuds/fauxglitter
Summary: Chanyeol is engraved in his heart, so even when he dies, he lives forever.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Check

Chanyeol remembers the first time that they met—in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by angst and chaos.

But _those eyes._

Those eyes looked up at Chanyeol without a hint of anxiety. _His_ gaze was ironically fearless and steady, reminiscent of calm and still waters in the midst of a raging tempest.

Park Chanyeol was the complete opposite—intense and fiery, magnetic and blinding.

Their meeting seemed premeditated, orchestrated by divine powers beyond their comprehension.

Chanyeol took one look at _his_ eyes and saw his other half—his perfect mirror.

“What is your name?”

_“Byun Baekhyun.”_

Chanyeol had never believed in love at first sight, and yet, that was what happened to him that fateful night. He fell for the beautiful stranger hard and fast and deep, before his mind had time to comprehend those emotions.

Baekhyun made him prisoner, enslaving him to burning passions that would ultimately bring about his destruction.

Chanyeol knew right from the start, and yet he loved him till the very end.

**\---**

Chanyeol remembers their first game of chess.

Baekhyun sat across from him with his brows furrowed in concentration while Chanyeol watched him silently. The warm candlelight cast a lovely glow against Baekhyun’s cheeks, and Chanyeol had to fight the urge to reach out and caress them. 

It was the most exciting game of chess Chanyeol had ever played, because it was the one and only time he had ever met his match. 

Baekhyun moved the chess pieces quickly and blithely, yet Chanyeol could tell that every move was calculated and precise. Baekhyun knew what he was doing, and Chanyeol admired his sharp wit. 

Baekhyun smiled, allowing his unspoken victory to hang in the air between them. They both knew how it was going to end, but Chanyeol was still surprised when Baekhyun declared checkmate. 

Baekhyun’s queen had Chanyeol’s king cornered hopelessly, and it was at that very moment when he decided that Byun Baekhyun would be _the one._

**\---**

On the last day of spring, Chanyeol dragged Baekhyun to the ornately gilded mirror in his room and made him look at his reflection. Baekhyun was confused, and even more so when Chanyeol gently placed his heavy crown atop his head. 

"It looks like it belongs," Chanyeol smiled proudly, enjoying Baekhyun’s flustered expression.

"It is not my burden to bear," Baekhyun responded smoothly, placing the crown back on Chanyeol’s head. 

"Of course. Not now, at least." Chanyeol shook his head. "But _one day._ "

There was a tense, pensive silence before Baekhyun spoke, as if he had been thinking deeply about something. 

"And you trust me because?"

"Oh," Chanyeol laughed. _"I don't."_

**\---**

_"It feels nice."_

"What does?"

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol with a quizzical expression, and Chanyeol held their linked hands to his lips and closed his eyes. 

"This," he mumbled, leaning against the warmth of Baekhyun’s skin. "Us," he continued softly. The soothing sound of the waves crashing in the background brought Chanyeol some comfort from the turmoil in his soul.

Baekhyun stopped walking, and Chanyeol opened his eyes to see Baekhyun staring towards the horizon, where the ocean met the starlit sky. 

Chanyeol sighed inwardly. 

"You are my beacon of light," Chanyeol whispered, hoping that Baekhyun would look him in the eye. "The only thing that keeps me sane."

Baekhyun remained passive and emotionless, and Chanyeol could only smile sadly. The chilly night air was nothing compared to the cold silence on Baekhyun’s end. 

"You are my past, present and future. I love you," Chanyeol tried again to elicit any form of reaction from him, but it was a futile act. 

"Won't you say it back?" Chanyeol said brokenly. "Just once. Please."

Baekhyun finally turned around to face him, eyes shining brightly with an emotion Chanyeol knew all too well. A tear rolled down Chanyeol’s cheek, and Baekhyun wiped it off with his thumb. 

_"I love you too."_

**\---**

On Chanyeol’s last night on earth, he was standing in front of the mirror when he saw Baekhyun approach from behind. Chanyeol did not turn around and instead smiled at Baekhyun calmly in the reflection. 

Baekhyun did not return the smile, but Chanyeol had expected that much. 

"You've brought me a gift," Chanyeol said, feeling an unprecedented sense of peace wash over him.

Baekhyun’s fingers tightened around the hilt of the dagger in his left hand. 

_"I have."_

Baekhyun stood beside him, and they both stared into the mirror, as if looking into a still portrait. Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun—the epitome of perfection, albeit only on the surface. Chanyeol stared at their reflection sadly, wondering if they could have been happier in a different universe.

For a brief moment, Chanyeol felt a flash of anger and envy well up in him, because he desperately wanted to live out his happy ending in this timeline. 

So why couldn't he? Why was it so out of reach?

His fist connected with the glass, and he watched their picture-perfect reflection splinter and crack. It was an act of reckless impulse, and he barely had time to stop and process what he had done. 

Baekhyun did not even flinch, watching the blood drip from Chanyeol’s knuckles with an almost morbid fascination. 

"I have waited a long time for today," Chanyeol exhaled shakily. 

He noticed the flash of pity in Baekhyun’s eyes and shook his head. "You cannot waver. Not on a day like this."

"You are right," Baekhyun agreed grimly. 

Chanyeol silently watched as Baekhyun raised the dagger, noticing the slight tremor that betrayed his otherwise composed countenance. 

Chanyeol had hoped for this to happen—right from the very start. But in his final moments, he prayed for a different ending.

 _"Checkmate,"_ Baekhyun announced airily, and that was Chanyeol’s final memory of his tender voice before he stabbed the dagger through Chanyeol’s back. 

Chanyeol let out a gasp, watching his reflection collapse to the ground. 

Baekhyun crouched down and lifted Chanyeol’s fallen crown, placing it on top of his own head. Baekhyun admired himself in the broken mirror, and Chanyeol smiled proudly. 

"It suits you," Chanyeol managed to mumble, and this time round, Baekhyun returned the smile.

For the first time in the longest while, Chanyeol felt as light as air.

And as the life slowly seeped out of him, Baekhyun held Chanyeol in his arms and bade his final goodbye.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short drabble of a fic idea that is swimming in my mind. Let me know if anyone is interested in a full-length one shot.


End file.
